Today in History—December 28: Don’t Call Her a “Test-Tube Baby”
At 7:46 am on this day in 1981, history was born. Her name was Elizabeth Jordan Carr, and she was the first American born via in vitro fertilization (IVF).
She joins us today to discuss what it’s like to enter the world as a headline.
Britannica: Can you talk about the circumstances of your birth?
Elizabeth Carr: I was born back in December 28, 1981. The process of in vitro fertilization had never been done in the United States. I had to be born in Virginia—IVF was actually illegal in my home state of Massachusetts.
When my parents were trying to get pregnant, they figured out pretty quickly that my mother could get pregnant but not stay pregnant. Her OBGYN said: Well, I don’t know where you are in thinking about having your family, but I just came back from a conference where I learned about this thing called IVF. And there’s a team, a husband and wife, that are trying to put together a clinic in Norfolk, Virginia, and they’re looking for patients. And I think you should apply.
And my parents talked about it and thought: What do we have to lose? And about two weeks later, doctors Howard and Georgeanna called my parents and said: How soon can you get here?
Britannica: What’s one misconception about you or IVF?
Carr: A frequent question I get is: Do I have a belly button? People actually do ask me that, because they think that I was grown in a tube or a lab.
That “test-tube baby” phrase that I keep trying to rid our language of: Test tubes were not used. A Petri dish was used. Conception happened in the Petri dish. And then I was put back in my mother’s womb, and nine months later, here I was like everybody else.
The oldest embryo to result in a successful birth was frozen for 11,148 days (or nearly 31 years).
Britannica: Did you grow up knowing that the circumstances of your birth were different?
Carr: My first press conference was at three days old. The doctors actually did give my parents the option to stay private. But my parents felt very strongly that people should know: We’re just a normal couple looking to build our family.
Interview edited for clarity.
- 14: Babies born via IVF before Elizabeth Jordan Carr
- 10–12 million: Babies born around the world via IVF since 1981
- 2: Percent of births in the U.S. each year from IVF
- 1065: The original church at Westminster Abbey is consecrated
- 1973: U.S. Pres. Richard Nixon signs the Endangered Species Act
- 2008: The Detroit Lions become the first team in NFL history to lose all 16 games
